Kuriositas

Helena

noreply@blogger.com (RJ Evans) — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 21:37:00 +0000

Sometimes a film can take you aback, quite simply. Helena is one of the cleverest and most touching short films I have ever seen. The eponymous heroine is a Flemish school teacher who lives with her husband Roger. You might think at first sight everything looks fine – they make a handsome couple – yet Roger seems almost immediately something of a controlling bully. Moreover, Helena is troubled by visions of discord which wake her from her slumber at night and seem to intrude on her waking hours too. Central is the photograph in its shattered glass frame of the day Roger proposed to her. She steadily descends in to a condition approaching paranoia.

I have to say I didn’t see the denouement coming and I won’t give it away. However, I will say that you may need to have a handkerchief nearby although the film thankfully avoids any kind of schmaltz. Helena is, at its heart, a simple tale of enduring love told in a rather complicated way. It was written by Joachim Huveneers and Wesley Versteeg and also directed by the latter. It stars Catherine Kools, Karel Tuytschaever, Marilou Mermans and Frans Maas. And it's wonderful.

Hakone: Japan's Amazing Open Air Museum

noreply@blogger.com (RJ Evans) — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 19:01:00 +0000

Close to both Tokyo and Mount Fuji the small town of Hakone holds something of a revelation. However, unless you are from Japan, you may well not have heard of it. The town plays host to a large open air museum where the works of many famous artists are held - outdoors. It is an attempt (and a successful one) to balance art and nature in harmony. The artworks, combined with the beautiful views of the surrounding mountains give the visitor an unforgettable experience.

Image Credit Flickr User psd

There are surprises around every corner at this unique museum, sights which will provoke thought and sometimes even laughter. This head on its side looks like some vast relic of a long vanished civilisation.

Image Credit Flickr User Or Hitch

Perhaps before you start to explore the massive grounds you should visit the extravagant stained glass tower which in the light of summer is like something from a fairy tale. You can climb to the top and check out the rest of the museum from here, so you can plan which pieces to visit next (but the choice can be bewildering).

Image Credit JeHu68

From the top of the staircase you can take a look at what else is on offer - below is just one of the angles to be surveyed from its dizzy heights. The breathtaking beauty of the surrounding countryside is a marvellous environment for these fluid sculptures. A far cry from a stuffy museum.

Image Credit Flickr User psd

Image Credit Flickr User Akira Yamada

The Japanese have a unique and sometimes impenetrable sense of humour (from the perspective of a Westerner). However, they do have a sense of fun which is easy to understand, even when it comes to art. The above is Shaun of the Dead, based on the famous zombie movie and created by its writer and star Simon Pegg and its director, Edgar Wright. The movie has cult status in Japan probably everywhere to tell the truth).

Image Credit Wikimedia

Image Credit Flickr User Or Hiltch

Among the more thought provoking pieces is Man and Pagasus by Carl Milles. Milles was perhaps better known for his fountains but the Swedish sculptor excelled himself with this hugely powerful piece showing man’s desire to tame nature.

Image Credit Wikimedia

Phillip King, who was once Henry Moore's assistant turned to Japan in the nineties and produced a series of innovative scultpures outside his normal style, one of which can be found in the garden (above).

Image Credit Flickr User psd

Image Credit Wikimedia

There are many original pieces in the environs – and if you are a fan of Henry Moore you will probably think you have died and gone to heaven. In the distance here you can see the stained glass tower featured further up this article.

Image Credit Flickr User Or Hiltch

Image Credit Wimikedia

As if all this is not enough, there is also a Picasso exhibition. As the bulk of his work represented here is ceramic it is shown indoors.

Image Credit Flicker User psa

There are plenty of mysteries to discover and explore at Hakone. But will they ever be solved? The park has so much to offer you may well end up feeling something like the person below.

Image Credit Flickr User Hilch

You may think this all looks marvellous, but what am I going to do with the kids? There are, unlike many museums, plenty of pieces of art to engage the kids. Typically for the Japanese, children are well catered for. The new pavilion especially made for children is a sight to behold whether or not you are ten years old (but from their smaller perspective it must seem like an adventure playground from the heavens).

Image Credit Flickr User h_okumura

Image Credit Flickr User h_ukumura

The castle of nets is meant for children – but on a quiet day you will find that the curators will turn a blind eye to adults having a swing or two.

Image Credit Flickr User Or Hiltch

Image Credit Flickr User Ajari

In fact a number of the pieces seem to have that as their primary aim. An amazing four story maze bee hive is, for sure, something that not many children will be able to resist clambering around.

Image Credit Wikimedia

Image credit Flickr User psd

There is also a garden maze in which you can lose yourself or the kids.

Image Credit Wikimedia

Plus, any youthful fan of geometry will have a whale of a time there too.

Image Credit Flickr User jmuruwaski

As well as all of the above there are also numerous pieces by lesser known artists. You will need at least four hours to see the museum properly and in order to do this as far from the madding art lovers as possible, get there when it opens at nine in the morning.

Image Credit Flickr User Or Hiltch
First Image Credit Flickr User Bob Owen

Making The Leadenhall Building

noreply@blogger.com (RJ Evans) — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:47:00 +0000

We usually try to avoid unfinished pieces on Kuriositas but I think you will agree that an exception really had to be made for this. The Leadenhall Building in London is due to be completed in the middle of 2014. It has already attracted a nickname – The Cheesegrater – and it is being constructed by the architects Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners.

In turn, they have commissioned Paul Raftery and Dan Lowe to film the construction of The Leadenhall Building and this represents the half-way point. It is a very cool piece of film – I particularly like the tilt-shift techniques used as well as the hyperlapse along the river (but why did that get cut so short!?). When complete this will be a wonderful record of a project which is helping to transform London’s skyline for the twenty first century and beyond.

Paradigm

noreply@blogger.com (RJ Evans) — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:15:00 +0000

When parents fall out of love it is never easy for any children born of the relationship. Often they can feel overwhelmed by what is going on around them. Their powerlessness to control the situation is something they strongly sense and they can sometimes blame themselves for what is essentially out of their control.

Paradigm centers around two such children, Calvin and Lily. Calvin is the older, pragmatic one.
As with any paradigm the one presented to the children is interpreted by both (as the scientists, effectively), very differently. Calvin may be the logical one but Lily at least has an idea how to fix the situation – to build a time machine and put it all right. Together, the siblings manage to rationalize what their parents are going through.

This short, sweet but ever so slightly melancholy movie was written and directed by Stephen Boyer who elicits very strong performances from his young cast, Blake Hardy and Analise Schoenbaum.

Birdstrike

noreply@blogger.com (RJ Evans) — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:58:00 +0000

Do you ever feel sorry for those birds, busy minding their own business when they get sucked in to the turbines of an airplane? In Birdstrike the shoe is on the other foot, as it were, as the plane is suddenly smaller than the bird.

Johannes Schiehsl created this terrific animated short as part of his second year at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Since graduating, Schiehsl now works as a director at Neuer Österreichischer Trickfilm in Vienna and Berlin.

The Amazing 3D Chalk Street Paintings of Tracy Lee Stum

noreply@blogger.com (RJ Evans) — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 16:32:00 +0000

Pavement art is, by its very nature, ephemeral. Fortunately we live in the age of the camera and so the works of maddonari (as they are otherwise more formally called) can be preserved. at least digitally. Yet although we can record the images, what of the artist? Do you ever want to put a face and a story to the picture?

Tracy Lee Stum (left) is one of the foremost 3D street artists in the world.

As you might imagine, the desire to illustrate her world followed approximately three seconds after birth. Perhaps an exaggeration but Tracy started to depict, portray and represent before she properly knew the meaning of the words, literally as soon as she could grasp chalk or crayon.

Pennsylvania born, Tracy gained her Bachelor’s degree At Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia then hopped continents to develop and advance her techniques in Italy, studying naturalism at the Florence Academy of Art. Her Italian sojourn now over, Tracy works where her art takes her, both at home in the US and all over the world.

Talent sometimes goes unrecognized in the art world until it is too late (look at poor Vincent) but fortunately Tracy has been able to combine her more personal work with commissions for any number of clients who want something special and unusual for a launch or promotion.

Tracy has also worked on a large number of public art projects which have taken her as far afield as Tajikistan, Russia and China to name but a few, where she has taught at universities and colleges about her art and the techniques used to perfect the illusion of an interactive tableau in three dimensions.

A large number of achievements are tucked in to Tracy’s belt. She currently holds the Guinness world record for the largest street painting by a single individual (which she achieved in 2006). Tracy also created the world’s first 3D chalk art mural (although could I swear I did one on my bedroom blackboard when I was a child…). The list of awards and accolades she has received is, literally, too long to catalogue here.

Typically one of Tracy’s pieces takes between one and three days. Although we are showing you the finished versions here, you can see the fascinating process involved at her Flickr Photostream which has close on a thousand photographs of the development of many works from start to finish.

You might be thinking to yourself I would love to have a go at that but I would have no idea where or how to start. If you are inclined to new artistic adventures then why not try 3D chalk art? Tracy is releasing an instructional video course in the near future. If you would like find out more, then visit the Tracy Lee Stum website to express your interest and to learn more about the art and the artist.

Kuriositas would like to thank Tracy Lee Stum for her kind permission to share these pictures of her wonderful art with you. Copyright remains and is retained by the artist.

Eguisheim: France’s Favorite Village

noreply@blogger.com (RJ Evans) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 16:46:00 +0000

When people say that a place is picture postcard perfect there is usually the scent of slight exaggeration in the air, a hint of hyperbole which should perhaps be accompanied by a pinch of salt.

Yet Eguisheim, a charmingly picturesque village in north-eastern France can be said to be just that without any suggestion of embellishment. Perhaps if the hobbits and the munchkins got together they would live somewhere like this. Little wonder that the place has recently been voted France’s Favorite Village (Village Préféré des Français) 2013.

Take a look and discover why.

If you are a traveler heading for a particular destination then it is always a good idea to look at how the people of that country perceive their own towns and villages and where they head for a break: it can be very telling. Why? Precious gems like Eguisheim can sometimes be hidden away by a nation for itself to covet. Mes amis, you have the Eiffel Tower! Leave us a little to call our own!

However, sometimes a secret can slip out and that is quite possibly the case with Eguisheim. Its tourists are overwhelmingly French or from the neighboring countries of Germany and Switzerland. With the success of the recent vote, France’s newest favorite village (an award given each year) may see many more languages spoken along its historic streets.

Image Credit Flickr User Ronile35-2

Eguisheim was the place where the famous Alsace industry of viticulture all began. Its micro-climate is perfect for winegrowing. The village, cradle of the Alsatian vineyards, wraps around itself protectively (it was fortified as far back as 1257), its multicolored houses creating a small, concentric but beautiful maze.

Image Credit Flickr User Vee-By

Image Credit Flickr User RussBowling

If the houses have a somewhat Germanic look to them then it is because the department of Haut Rhin (in which the village lies) has a mixed cultural heritage. Although it is one of the original 83 French departments created in 1790 during the French Revolution it has twice been annexed by Germany, from 1871to 1919 and for four no doubt bleak years during the Second World War. The neighbors have since become the best of friends and Eguisheim welcomes many German visitors each year.

Image Credit Flickr User benontherun

Image Credit Flickr User Pietro Izzo

It’s a beautifully preserved village, one in which the traveler can just stand and look (I think the verb I would use for myself is gawp). The eighth century castle may be visited accompanied by a guided tour but the rest of the village can be seen on foot and on your own. There is the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Church, which dates from 1220. Then, bien sûr, there are the narrow streets replete with their balconies, bow-windows and pointed gables which were built around military ramparts dating from the 1400s through which visitors may meander.

Image Credit Flickr User Jean CL

Image Credit Flickr User Michael Osmenda

Eguisheim is a village of fountains. There are four altogether, with the oldest being the Market Square fountain (which was built in 1557), another from the same century and two more from the middle of the nineteenth. Water has played such an important part in the local winegrowing economy that fountains must have seemed a perfect way in which to celebrate the village’s success: ab aqua ad vinum.

Image Credit Flickr User Spigoo

Image Credit Flickr User Jean CL

So much, so sleepy, the perfect place to go and do nothing but look and smile and eat and then repeat in any desired order. Yes. However, for a village of only 1500 or so souls there is an awful lot which goes on in Eguisheim.

Image Credit Flickr User Spigoo

Image Credit Flickr User Benontherun

There are a variety of festivals celebrated in the village, many of which are focused on flowers. This means that the village appears to be in full, radiant bloom for much of the year. Don't forget Easter and Christmas too with their own special celebrations. In Eguisheim there are also plenty of restaurants in which to savor wonderful provincial dishes: remember the French think theirs is the best food in the world - because it is. Then there is the Fête des Vignerons on the last week in August where all the local winegrowers come together in the village to celebrate.

Image Credit Flickr User Benontherun

Image Credit Flickr User Spigoo

Eguisheim is a village savvy enough to be commercial but sensible enough to know that culture, heritage and environment are equally important and are what keeps it special. As the village settles in to its honoured, yearlong title of Village Préféré des Français I suspect that it may become the favorite destination of a number of other nationalities too. Oh, and did I tell you it has storks, too?

Image Credit Flickr User RussBowling

Kuriositas would like to thank Caroline Meyer of the Eguisheim and Environs Office of Tourism for providing us with some of the marvelous photographs you see here.

A Shadow of Blue

noreply@blogger.com (RJ Evans) — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 17:43:00 +0000

Nothing can be quite so liberating as the imagination and the imagination of a child is freer than any. A little girl, alone on a park bench allows her thoughts and dreams to roam free, her fantasies setting her off on a short but exciting adventure. If you need a little cheering up then I can’t recommend this animated short enough.

A Shadow of Blue was directed by Carlos Lascano. An Illustrator, photographer, writer, animator and director, Carlos has achieved international recognition. In the past few years he has developed a universe of his own, where all his different forms of expression merge together in creating a whole, personal world. Watch A Shadow of Blue – you’ll see what I mean. You won't be surprised, once you watch this, to learn that it was nominated for the Best Animated Short at the 84th Academy Awards.

One Man

noreply@blogger.com (RJ Evans) — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 16:52:00 +0000

When I give you a short preview of One Man it may not encourage you to watch it – on paper it does sound rather depressing. However, One Man is a very sweet comedy drama. A one man band, lonely and down on his luck goes through the paces of his day, unable to find a spot, harassed by youths and generally feeling low. It seems this day represents the straw that breaks and he resolves to end it all. However…(yes, thank goodness there is a however!)

One Man is directed by Matt Rhodes and written by Tony Pipes. It stars Rob Jarvis who, if you have been scratching your head, you may have seen as hapless barman Eddie on the BBC show Hustle. If that’s not where you are familiar with him, then name a popular British drama from the last decade, from Waterloo Road to Law and Order UK and you will no doubt have seen his face popping up on them.

Living Statue Levitation

noreply@blogger.com (RJ Evans) — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 15:10:00 +0000

Opinion is divided on the subject of living statues. If you have traveled to any major world city then you know who I mean: the street entertainers who spend hours dressing up and applying makeup and then spend the rest of the day rooted to the spot (unless to collect money from bemused tourists or frighten small children, both of which are fine by me considering the labors they have gone through to effect their appearance). They either fascinate, creep out or both in equal parts. Yet this is a new one on me – the living statue apparently suspended in mid-air and looking quite relaxed about it too. So, how does he do it?

These shots of a very aurelian Prince Charles were taken last week by Flickr Photographer Eugene Kaspersky. Taking possibly the only opportunity to bask in the British sunshine he will have this side of the next century, the heir to the throne apparently whisked himself away from Buckingham Palace and set himself up on his invisible throne on London’s South Bank.

OK, I am pretty sure that it isn’t really Prince Charles (although he could do with getting a proper job instead of spending his life on state benefits!). However, one thing that perplexed me was how, exactly, this possibly regal street performer was doing what he was doing – apparently balancing comfortably (some might even say languidly) in mid-air. Pictures taken around him seem to indicate no obvious means of support.

You have probably worked it out by now but I have to admit it took me a while to guess the method and it is ingenious (but not necessarily to say the least even though it is very, very clever). I am not going to share his secret with you here – spoilers! However, just down the road in London’s Covent Garden, a not very realistic Yoda is doing his levitation thing. Lack of verisimilitude aside, how the heck is he doing that?*

Image Credit Flickr User bright_shadow56

All photographs, except Yoda, by Flickr Photographer Eugene Kaspersky
*Answer: the same way!

Bird and Fish

noreply@blogger.com (RJ Evans) — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 13:39:00 +0000

I am not sure if Bird and Fish is set on our planet at some point during the future (in which case it beats After Earth hands down for originality) or whether it is set elsewhere in the universe. Not that it matters. The short movie tells the story of two young souls, one bird, one fish, who inhabit the carefully delineated areas of their planet.

There is very little movement or communications between the two separate zones but the inhabitants are aware of the other while remaining content to stay separate. Most blithely ignore the other society either above or below them (depending on which they come from). We are left to fill in the back-story ourselves - and I enjoy it when I am allowed to do that by filmmakers!

Yet things are about to change when two boys meet, one a bored and lonely delivery bird, the other a fish boy with a passion for ancient technology. Together they will change their world(s), possibly forever.

Bird and Fish is the senior graduation animation produced at the Kansas City Art Institute by Ann Mendenhall and Stephanie Son. As a by the by it’s great to see an all-female direction team at work! You can visit their production blog here.

The Adjustable Cosmos

noreply@blogger.com (RJ Evans) — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 15:36:00 +0000

You may not be aware of this but the 10th March 1453 saw the launch of the first Viennese Space Mission and this marvelous animated short movie, The Adjustable Cosmos, tells that tale.

Tale it may be, but all the characters in the movie did actually live. In this story, the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick III had recently received a visit from the Papal Emissary, Cardinal Bessarian who insisted that he waged war against the Ottomans. Frederick was keen to know just how the war would go before he proceeded so he sought his astrologer, Regiomontanus, for advice. The astrologer foresaw the campaign ending badly (very badly) for all involved on Frederick’s side but proposed that perhaps something could be done about it…

So, they launched towards the roof of the heavens with one goal in mind – to effect change to the Ptolemaic universe. However, they may not be alone in the firmament…

I think I enjoyed The Adjustable Cosmos as much as anything I have seen recently at the cinema, if not more – it’s a thoroughly enjoyable twenty minutes of rewritten history that never happened. Directed by Adam Duncan it is based on a short story by Australian speculative fiction author Adam Browne.

Frederick, Bessarian and Regiomontanus all existed. This makes the movie more interesting for fans of this period of history which is sadly underused in film (which has always perplexed me - it's full of fascinating things). Bessarion and Regiomontanus did meet, too, through the latter’s mentor, the astronomer and mathematician Georg von Peuerbach. In fact Regiomontanus would spend four years traveling around Northern Italy as a member of Bessarion's household.

The date the three adventurers start and finish their journey is perhaps ironic – their version of world peace is brought about on 10 March 1453. Just a few weeks later, on 29 May 1453, real history saw the fall of Constantinople (modern day Istanbul) to the Ottoman Empire!

Finally, I do have to admit that Regiomontanus was guilty of a little theft. He nicked quite a lot of the work of Jabir ibn Aflah, a twelfth century Seville-based Muslim astronomer and mathematician and used it in his 1464 work On Triangles. Despite this, the scientific community has long since forgiven him and the ancient lunar impact crater located in the southern highlands region to the southeast of Mare Nubium on the moon is named after him.

Parabelrutsche: Is This the Coolest Slide in the World?

noreply@blogger.com (RJ Evans) — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 11:55:00 +0000

This slide certainly begs the question above. This is the Parabelrutsche which translates as the Parabole Slide. Located at the University of Technology in Munich (Technische Universität München) or TUM for short the slide enables students and other visitors to make the journey from the fourth floor a little quicker than might be expected.

Image Credit Flickr User Digital Cat
The building in which it can be found was built in 2002 to host the Faculty of Computer Science and mathematics. It does look like it was based on an open plan prison - some students jokingly call it Alcatraz. Yet the Parabola Slide makes up for the otherwise rather bleak interior.

Image Credit Flickr User Better Than Bacon

You may well be wondering how lax Germany’s health and safety laws are to allow for this sort of potentially dangerous public amusement. In other countries, like the US and the UK for example, it is hard to imagine permission being given for this – the fear of potential law suits from injured sliders would probably frighten off an idea like the Parabola Slide. Yet it seems that under German law, notices that you slide at your own risk cover any risk. How very sensible!

Here are a group of students trying out the slide for the first time. One sign near the Parabelrutsche tells people with ideas about novel ways of using the cycloidal tubes that 'Misuse of the slides will be punished with exmatriculation' – which sounds a far more serious threat than expulsion. It didn't stop this guy trying it out with a bobbycar (link here - a 30 second ad at the other end first, sorry).

Image Credit Flickr User Digital Cat

Image Credit Flickr User Digital Cat
There are, of course, all sorts of myths and legends which have arisen in the decade since the slide was introduced. One story maintains that a student decided it would be fun go down the slide using a food tray from the student refectory. A broken collarbone and a visit to the local hospital later, he had time to reconsider the brightness of his notion.

Image Credit Flickr User Uwe Trottman
It isn’t possible to use the Parabelrutsche without one of the small carpets provided at its base – the friction burns that would otherwise happen don’t really bear thinking about. So, people have to make sure that they remember the carpet before they go to class. Sometimes, however, the obliging staff will take a whole cart up to the fourth floor to facilitate the absent mindedness of computer science students.

Image Credit Flickr User Digital Cat
Any fan of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy will, of course, be fine: they will have remembered their towel. So, do you think this is the coolest slide in the world? In my mind, possibly the only thing that could make this even better was if there was a pump system which allowed you to be pulled up to class as well.

Image Credit Flickr User Robin Zebrowski
Let us know if you live by or have visited a slide which you think is even cooler than the Parabelrutsche.

First Image Credit Flickr User Digital Cat

This is Shanghai

noreply@blogger.com (RJ Evans) — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 15:40:00 +0000

Shanghai is one of the most fascinating of world cities in terms of its history and also what it represents today. Although we may associate today’s skyline with skyscrapers the first was not built until 1980. The city juxtaposes grasping capitalism within a communist hierarchy with ultra-modern buildings towering about its citizens, many of whom still live fairly traditional existences. It is a place of contrast to say the very least.

The video was created by photographer Rob Whitworth and urban identity expert JT Singh. It is Shanghai as it has never been seen before. Yet watching this you are left in no mind why some say that this is China’s century.

Ahco on the Road

noreply@blogger.com (RJ Evans) — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 15:25:00 +0000

Ahco is a baby elephant with a curious mind. One day he is enraptured by the sight of a beautiful butterfly and decides to follow it. As you have probably guessed, the poor little guy gets lost and he spends the rest of this rather beautiful animated short looking for his mother. There are a few adventures in store for him on his travels, and encounters with the other animals of the forest, some friendly and some not so…

Ahco on the Road is a collaborative effort between two artists, Soyeon Kim and Todd Hemker, whose specialties are in various animation techniques, illustration, and design and who together comprise Yellowshed. Since 2001, the two have been involved with a broad range of projects, working professionally in the world of advertising and film production as directors, art directors, designers, and animators.

My Happy End

noreply@blogger.com (RJ Evans) — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 14:29:00 +0000

A lot of people have waited quite a while for this to come online and here it finally is. My Happy End tells the story of a dog who catches his own tail – and immediately becomes the best of friends with it! There is a great deal more to this animated short than that but in essence it’s a story of best friends, two sides of the same coin as it were. It went on to win many awards.

The original idea, design and animation were by Milen Vitanov with technical direction by Dennis Rettowski, who completed this when they were at HFF Konrad Wolf in Babelsberg, Germany. They have since gone on to form Talking Animals, a young and fresh animation studio based in Berlin.

Sansiantai: Dragon Bridge to the Island of the Three Immortals

noreply@blogger.com (RJ Evans) — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 18:38:00 +0000

The eastern coastline of Taiwan is renowned for its natural beauty. Unspoiled beaches stretch for miles and at one point, Sansiantai, there is a wonderful surprise. A beautiful arched bridge, meant to resemble a dragon of Chinese legend, stretches from the mainland across to a group of small islands.

Image Credit Flickr User Yufu Lin

Image Credit

Sansiantai is, as you might imagine, saturated in folklore. The three enormous rocks making up the island's most conspicuous feature long ago gave rise to a native myth that three of China's Eight Immortals once chose the island for a place to rest. Even the name of the island translates to the Terrace of the Three Immortals.

Image Credit Flickr User Yufu Lin
Lu, Tung-pin, Iron Crutch Li, and He, Xian-gu were the names of these great sages. After they had taken their rest they left three footprints. These are the three massive rocks dominate the small uninhabited island. The island was once connected by a neck of land to the rest of Taiwan but over the millennia this wore away.

Image Credit Flickr User Nomad@Live

Image Credit Flickr User Yufu Lin
The striking arched bridge that connects the island to the mainland is not, however, as old as you might think. It was built in 1987 – before that anyone without a boat wishing to visit the island had to wait till low tide and wade over.

Image Credit Flickr User Nomad@Live

Image Credit
The bridge’s eight arches, gently undulating, capture the rhythm of a Chinese dragon as it traverses the space between land and island. It is known locally as The Eight Leaped Bridge. It is reminiscent of the architecture of ancient Chinese temples, indicating that this is a place which should be revered by those who visit.

Image Credit Flickr User Jun652

Image Credit Flickr User Kovis
The bridge and island are locally very famous and many tourists come to take in the views and enjoy the pristine natural surroundings. However, situated in the relatively isolate county of Taitung (which has a population of little more than a quarter of a million), the place is never overwhelmed with visitors.

Image Credit Flickr User SundowMoonkiss

Image Credit Flickr User SundowMoonkiss
Although Taiwan’s twenty two million people are predominantly Han Chinese the area around Sansiantai is home to good sized communities of two aboriginal peoples known as the Amis and the Yami but with others from the remaining 12 happily mingling in as well.

Image Credit Flickr User Yufu Lin

Image Credit Flickr User Yufu Lin
Although it looks idyllic, this area of Taiwan is known for its typhoons and high winds. As the bridge is truly exposed to the elements so too are those upon it. Often the winds can be so harsh that people err on the side of caution and chose not to cross the bridge, rather than risk being blown over its side.

Image Credit

Image Credit
Despite the occasional typhoon, Sansiantai is famed and praised for its azure seas and rich, diverse wildlife. Little wonder it is known as Taiwan’s Last Paradise.

Image Credit Flickr User Mr850
First Image Credit

Who Will be the Next Doctor Who?

noreply@blogger.com (RJ Evans) — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 08:11:00 +0000

Who will replace Matt Smith? That's the question today on a lot of lips. It only seems like five minutes since David Tennant uttered the words "I don't want to go" and Doctor Who's tenth incarnation regenerated in to the eleventh, played by Smith. However, time being relative, all things must come to an end!

Yes, the news broke today that Matt Smith is giving up the role of Doctor Who. The 2013 Christmas Special will see his last appearance at the helm of the Tardis. If you are a fan of Smith’s performance you probably haven’t stopped gnashing your teeth yet, but we have a question! Who would you like to see replace Matt Smith as Doctor Who – and why? Your suggestions can be serious or silly – but have a little fun and let us know who should be the next incarnation of the wandering time lord! If you don't want to make a comment below then email at taliesyn30@aol.com.

Wouldn't it be great if one of us got it right? In fact if there is a single guesser for the new Doctor, we'll send them a prize!

OK, me first, me first!

Adrian Lester is the Twelfth Doctor
Suggested by RJ Evans, London

As Doctor Who was recently branded 'thoroughly racist' by various academics perhaps it is high time we had our first black doctor on board the Tardis? Adrian Lester would certainly make a great Doctor in my mind. As well as being a great Shakespearean actor who would bring gravitas to the role (needed if a young man is to play the part, as seems to be the fashion!) he would also make a great contrast to Matt Smith’s manic incarnation by bringing more than a little cool on board. He is perhaps best known for his appearance as gang leader Mickey in 42 episodes of the BBC TV serial Hustle but international viewers may remember him best for his small role as a doomed scientist in The Day After Tomorrow.

Damien Molony is the Twelfth Doctor
Suggested by Mark Mitrofanov, London, UK

"I will go for Damien Molony. He has already proven his acting mettle playing Hal the angst ridden vampire in the UK version of Being Human. He also has plenty of stage acting experience which is also a plus for anyone playing the Doctor. I think he is going to be in the new series of Ripper Street next year but he certainly fits in with the series’ habit of choosing relatively little known but up and coming actors for the role. Also at 29 he is about the right age to play the character (following the recent trend of youngish time lords!)".

Rupert Grint is the Twelfth Doctor
Suggested by Mike Wrigley, Leicester, UK

"Someone on another forum make a joke suggestion of Rupert Grint. Actually not a bad idea. He's only 24 but he's worked on mega blockbuster films (Harry Potter anyone?). He has worked with some if the best actors on the planet (David Tennant included) and he has a look about him, not of the chiselled Hollywood action type but more "geeky" and fun. Matt Smith was 26 when he did it so a young actor is not out of the question either."

Anna Friel is the Twelfth Doctor
Suggested by Jenni De San Nicholas, Florida

"Perhaps it’s time for the doctor to regenerate in to female form – it would certainly turn the show on its head! I think Anna Friel would make the perfect female Doctor – she has the looks, for sure, but also the versatility as an actress to make the doctor her own. I think it might also be interesting in terms of the dynamics between the doctor and who she chooses to travel with in the future. God help her if Captain Jack makes a return, though!"

Eddie Redmayne is the Twelfth Doctor
Suggested by Paul Cooper, Oxford

"Eddie Redmayne would be my choice. He’s young (but at 29 older than I think both Smith and Tennant when they took on the role) and has proven himself an enigmatic actor in TV movies like Birdsong not to mention Hollywood ventures like My Week with Marilyn and Les Miserables – although the thought of a singing Doctor doesn’t bear thinking about. But he will, at least, finally get to be a ginger Doctor!"

Harry Lloyd is the Twelfth Doctor
Suggested by Vincent S, London

"A number of the companions, such as Martha and Amy (the actresses at least) appeared in Doctor Who as other characters before they made their debut as the companion. So maybe we should look back over the last few years of the show. My best bet would be Harry Lloyd who played Jeremy Baines/ Son of Mine in the Family of Blood. Although he played a school boy in that, he is in fact 29 years old so plenty old enough to play the Doctor. He is also familiar as Viserys Targaryen in Game of Thrones. He might bring an edge to the portrayal of the Doctor as he excels at playing villains!"

Aneurin Barnard is the Twelfth Doctor
Suggested by Pamela Jones, Harlech

"Some of the previous actors who have played the Doctor have moaned on about how far away it is from London (in terms of filming, not Tardis travel!) So why not Aneurin Barnard, a home grown Welsh actor who will only have to fall out of bed to be in the studio? I believe he is going to be in the forthcoming BBC show The White Queen so there may be an issue with that if his character in that series is ongoing and it gets renewed, but he was excellent alongside Karen Gillan in We’ll Take Manhattan. Maybe not a forerunner in the betting stakes but you should always beware the dark horse…"

Sophie Okonedo is the Twelfth Doctor
Suggested by Matilda Sky, London

"The delectable Idris Alba is my first choice for male time lord, for female I'd go with Sophie Okonedo, cos they are really good at acting and also I fancy his pants off! For female time lord Anna friel IMHO is a bit pants at acting."

Editor's Note: We will include Idris Elba as a possible new Doctor to replace Matt Smith if someone nominates him for his acting powers rather than his physical appearance. However, reluctantly, here he is - as imagined by Matilda.

James McAvoy is the Twelfth Doctor
Suggested by Liam Milross

How about James McAvoy! He's a BRILLIANT actor and I feel his odd style would be perfect for the doctor. He also has a unique style which would create a unique doctor PLUS his looks are soft yet changeable.

James Frain is the Twelfth Doctor
Suggested by Mikkey Davy, Michigan

Maybe this is dumb but I would like James Frain. At 45, he wouldn’t be the youngest Doctor, but he also wouldn’t be the oldest. Frain would be a great choice for the Doctor, but he would definitely give a brooding portrayal over Smith’s comedy act. And I really like his look, maybe too old to go right after Smith but it depends on how the story goes. I've always felt like the doctor's changes have matched up with what is happening in his life. 9 was the brooding war vet suffering from some PTSD, Tennant was in love, Smith was a bit mad like he'd lost everything a few too many times. I'm excited to see where this new doctor will take us.

So who do you want in the Tardis? Make your comments below. We will publish your comments and try to do a picture of your 'New Who' too in the main body of the article!

First Image Credit fengshwing

Drawn

noreply@blogger.com (RJ Evans) — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 18:05:00 +0000

The difficult first date. Often it’s hard to know where to begin, to start to get to know that mysterious other sat opposite to you.

Perhaps a common interest will draw the two together? Yet when it comes to a man and a woman often the routes that are taken can be quite different. A leap of the imagination shows us that whereas it may not always be a case of Mars and Venus the genders can have a very different take on the same planet!

This charming animated short is the work of a number of students at The Animation School in South Africa – Armand Filmalter, Theresa Hargitai, Alexandre Salomon, Simon Van Der Merwe, Stephen Van Wyk and Michelle White with music by Craig Ormond.

Peña de Bernal: Now Officially the World’s Tallest Rock

noreply@blogger.com (RJ Evans) — Fri, 31 May 2013 16:13:00 +0000

About 8.7 million years ago in what is north central Mexico, a pair of tectonic plates converged. One was forced under the other and sank in to the mantle of the Earth. The resulting volcanic activity formed a dacite rock which, after hardening, eventually forced itself through as a solid plug to the surface. This subduction zone activity created Peña de Bernal which has, you could say, weathered the passing time remarkably well. It has recently been declared the tallest monolith on Earth.

Image Credit Flickr User Damaris Vilchis

It has taken an age of argument for the monolith, in the Mexican state of Querétaro, to finally acquire this status. For many years scientists have that the Rock of Gibralta and South Africa’s Sugarloaf Mountain were both larger than the Mexican monolith. However, the journal Geosphere has finally settled the competition and declared that Peña de Bernal is indeed the world’s tallest free standing rock.

Image Credit Flickr User g_leon_h

Image Credit Flickr User Javier Hidalgo

Surprisingly, it has taken this long for the rock to be accurately measured in terms of its height. Yet a team from the National Autonomous University of Mexico have finally settled the monolith’s vital statistics once and for all. It is 1,421 feet high (that’s 433 meters) which is higher than Gibraltar at 1,398 feet (426m) and the Sugarloaf which trails in third at 1,299 feet (396m).

Image Credit Flickr User Christian Ramiro Gonzalez

Image Credit Flickr User Christian Ramiro Gonzalez
So, by a whisper, the world has a new tallest monolith – not to mention a young one. While it was estimated previously that Peña de Bernal was over 34 million years old it is now believed to be closer to 9 million. Even so you might ask how the comparatively youthful rock has managed to stand for so long without being weathered by the elements. The reason for its longevity is that about 70% of it is made up of silica which is particularly resistant to erosion.

Image Credit Flickr User openalva
Not surprisingly legends have sprung up around Peña de Bernal. Many maintain that at its heart is an amethyst cave which exudes healing energy. Others, that a giant snake sleeps at its core and that anyone who can get past is will enter a cave in which the secrets of life, the universe and everything will be revealed to them. If it sounds like something from an Indiana Jones movie then yes, there are plenty of reports of UFOs too.

Image Credit Flickr User Diego Valadez
Now the geological mysteries of the monolith have been at last uncovered, perhaps it is time to focus more on the small town of Bernal which snuggles in the shadow of the monument. Its residents are said to be the longest lived in Mexico with many of them living well in to their nineties. They maintain that the forces within the monolith are responsible for their longevity.

Image Credit Flickr User Eneas
Mexico’s general population seems to agree and the town is crowded each weekend with visitors, keen to prolong their time on the planet through their proximity to Peña de Bernal’s supposed healing energies. Whether you chose to believe the monolith has therapeutic powers, Bernal has become known as one of Mexico’s Magic Towns (although it must be said this is a designation of social and cultural importance rather than any admission of belief).

Image Credit Flickr User Michael Swigart
Evidence of enchanted snakes and mystical crystals is scare. Yet Peña de Bernal is a beautiful hunk of rock, the biggest on the planet – whether you believe in magic or not.

Image Credit Flickr User Mike Nowak
First Image Credit Flickr User Michael R Swigart

Paris Hyperlapse

noreply@blogger.com (RJ Evans) — Fri, 31 May 2013 13:55:00 +0000

The time-lapse is dead, long live the hyperlapse! This is perhaps not a completely truthful statement but one which could be argued over a glass of wine or two. And where better to do that than the city of lights, Paris? This remarkable hyperlapse by Kirill Neiezhmakov shows the city in all its spectacle.

The video shows some of the best examples I have seen of the hyperlapse techniques which involves moving the camera while still shooting at a speed normally associated with time-lapse. It’s a new(ish) technique and one that has been evolving at some speed recently - Neiezhmakov and his ilk are comfortably taking it to the next level with some huge, sweeping shots that make you wonder exactly how they were done. They certainly make me scratch my head. Have a gawp and see if you can work it out yourself.

The Sim Chung Story

noreply@blogger.com (RJ Evans) — Fri, 31 May 2013 13:17:00 +0000

This is a rather lovely animated version of a traditional Korean myth. It tells the story of a dutiful daughter, Sim Chung, whose mother died when she was young and whose father is blind. Promised that his life will be restored if she sells herself to sailors for sacrifice, Sim Chung does so and as she hits the waves her adventures are barely beginning.

You do have to bear with the first minute or so of this animated short by M9 as it does take time to tell the story before the full visual treat gets underway. But do stick with it – the underwater sequences are quite lovely. Plus the denizens of the deep put Gershwin to good use!

Captain T&T - A Superhero Movie with a Difference

noreply@blogger.com (RJ Evans) — Thu, 30 May 2013 16:58:00 +0000

If you think that the superhero genre has had its day, run its course and is lying on the ground panting and out of breath then think again – here’s a different take which I suspect will make your day – it certainly did mine. Many young boys have superhero ambitions (come on, yes you did) and Thin Foot is certainly one of those, producing a list of potential powers to be tried and tested – even if the result is not quite how he had hoped. Yet despite his various disappointments in the superhero power department this little guy just keeps battling on. Call me a big soppy sopster but I had a tear in my eye at the end.

The visuals of Captain T&T (for Trinidad and Tobago, the island nation in which Thin Foot lives) are stunning. I would call parts of this movie experimental were it not for the incredibly strong narrative thread which runs through it. The animated segment at the center of the film was a surprise but works wonderfully within the context of the film as a whole. Plus the directors have elicited incredibly strong performances from their young cast, particularly Kden Hee Chung as Thin Foot.

Captain T&T was written, directed and produced by Christopher and Leizelle Guiness. This film has been described as the best to ever be home produced in the Caribbean. Watch it and see why.

Cheese Rolling: Traditional Death Defying Race goes Ahead Despite Health and Safety Warnings

noreply@blogger.com (RJ Evans) — Thu, 30 May 2013 15:39:00 +0000

Thousands of people gathered last weekend at Cooper’s Hill in the English county of Gloucestershire for the annual cheese-rolling race. The unofficial event, which has taken place at the same spot for over five hundred years, sees people risking life and limb in the pursuit of a rolling 7lb round of Double Gloucester cheese.

Image Credit Flickr User Reeway2007

However, this year the weighty cheese was replaced with a lighter foam version in a gesture towards making the event a little more health and safety conscious. Just a little. The event is, as you can imagine, never without casualties. However, cheese rolling has always been exuberantly amateur in nature and everyone who participates is well aware of the risks that they take. To grab and win the cheese is, it seems, worth the potential hazards of lunging headlong down a hill at breakneck speed.

If the words they must be mad just escaped your lips then put it down to good old British eccentricity. Yet the strange nature of the sport attracts ~~nutters~~ people from all over the globe. In fact, out of the five races in 2013, one was won by a Japanese man, one by an Australian and a third by an American participant. However, two races were won by a local man and woman from the nearby village of Brockworth, much to the relief of the native audience.

27 year old Kenny Rackers from Colorado Springs made the journey to Europe specifically to compete in the contest and came complete with specially made outfit which made little secret of his stateside origins. That’s another tick on the bucket list for Kenny, then.

We're not sure whether the panda was from China or not...

Yet if Kenny had gone to lengths to display his country’s colors, the Japanese competitor chose a more subtle ninja outfit to exhibit his national pride. He nimbly caught the cheese (which wasn’t a cheese) without once having to resort to unsheathing his ninjato to fend off other competitors.

There are plans to continue this uniquely British event in forthcoming years, despite a certain heavy handedness by local police. They instructed the cheese-maker, 86 year old Diana Smart that she could be held responsible for any injuries inflicted by flying rounds of Double Gloucester. The organizers, not wishing to see an octogenarian arrested for possible wounds caused by contact with the traditional unpasteurized treat, deferred to a foam substitute this year.

Kuriositas would like to thank Flickr photographer egneg for his kind permission to use his photographs for this article. Please visit his excellent Photostream.

Hadoken: Japanese Schoolgirl Trend Goes Global

noreply@blogger.com (RJ Evans) — Thu, 30 May 2013 13:19:00 +0000

Image Credit Flickr User Dave Cobb

A month or two ago a trend started in Japan. Photos of schoolgirls doing what looked like extremely impressive manga style martial arts moves on their friends started to appear on social networking sites, notably Twitter. Most popular of all was 波動拳 or hadoken (sometimes spelled hadouken) made famous in the Street Fighter series of fighting games. Now, it's going global.

Image Credit Flickr User Alexander Galimberti

Image Credit Flickr User Brandice Schnabel

What is essentially happening here (for those of you still scratching your heads!) is the propulsion of spirit energy (known as ki) towards an opponent. The surge is created by thrusting both palms forward towards an adversary. It is also known as the fireball and this move became popular on most sprite-based games of the era (1987 onwards).

Image Credit Flickr User Fred Dale

You might well ask yourself why now, all of a sudden, a game from the 1980s is causing this interest among young trend-setting Japanese ladies. There hasn’t been a Dragon Ball movie in theaters for 17 years. However, a new entry in the series, Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, is due for release in the near future and this, it seems, has piqued the interest of the youth of a nation (and is nothing at all to do with very canny marketing, he added ever so slightly cynically).

Image Credit Flickr User Wrecktify

Image Credit Flickr User Kenzie Saunders

The age of digital cameras enabled the Japanese schoolgirls, the originators of the craze, to catch the hadoken in action. It wasn’t long before the whole thing went viral. It sometimes takes the rest of the world a little time to catch up with Japan, and now the rest of the world is joining in the fun.

Image Credit Flickr User Josh Russell
Do you think you can do as well or better than the brave warriors pictured here? Then send us your hadoken pictures – email them to kuriositasitas@gmail.com and we will pop them up here. Thanks!

Image Credit Tinashe Sibanda

Image Credit Flickr User Sweet Alize

Image Credit Flickr User Nick Stuckey

Image Credit Flickr Luan Jardine

Image Credit Flickr User Lucyl96

Image Credit Flickr User Jimmy Pistol

Image Credit Flickr User Brandice Schnabel

Image Credit Flickr User Kurichan+

Image Credit Flickr User Derek Oyen

Image Credit Flickr User Daniel Buechele

Image Credit Flickr User Faraz.Damji

Image Credit Flickr User SarahvMook

Image Credit Flickr User Hannah_McKinney

Image Credit Flickr User Sweet Alize

Image Credit Flickr User Kiana.Sairafi
Kuriositas would like to thank the following Flickr photographers for their kind permission to share their pictures with you.

Nick Stuckey - Flickr Photostream, Purple Tasche Website, Facebook Page
Flickr User Lucyl96
Flickr User Luan Jardine
Flickr User faraz.damji
Flickr User SarahvMook
Flickr User Hannah McKinney
Flickr User Sweet Alize
Flickr User Kaira.Sairafi